the Simple Princles of the Ninja Art
by vienne spellman
Summary: Naruto faces another mission to find a certain Uchiha. At his mission will he came facetoface again the snake of Konoha? Will he finally discover the true meaning of a ninja and will he finally see romance building in their world!
1. Chapter 1

NARUTO FANFICTION

Title: the Simple Principles of Ninja Art

Rate: PG13

Genre: Action/Adventure/Romance

Language: English

Plot/Summary: Naruto faces another mission; to find a certain Uchiha. At his mission will he came face-to-face again the snake of Konoha? Will he finally discover the true meaning of a ninja and will he finally see romance building in their world!

DISCLAIMERS: I do not definitely own Naruto. It was own by a certain Japanese genius. Everything inside my fic is just a product of my non-sense imagination. There's no money related to this it's just my willingness to this no-good fic.

WARNING FOR MY FUTURE READERS: I want to include this so that the reader who wants to read this no-good fic to know that I am not basically a good author. I am poor in grammar and sometimes in spelling. And oh! I am not really good in the plot I therefore say. I t is just that I want to express my feelings through this fic. So… do not tell me that I did not warn you all…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The fic will start in the next chapter, this is serves only a reminder for those who dare open this fic. Well I am the person who accepts critics so just to remind you to review, all feedback, comments, suggestion or even flames are allowed there as long as you express your feelings and of course I'll do try to improve my writing if you told so. And sorry for those who want another plot, another pairings and a like because if I have decided what will be the flow of the fic it will be it! I'll change my mind if there's a good reason or point from the readers. (But I think it will take a zillion readers to make me change my mind ) well just go on to the next chapter.

And I am the type of author that don't normally reveal the pairings. Well, I guess I like or enjoy the argument whether what pairings I will put in my fic. And for those who were fans of Naruto and had watched almost the series and just waiting for the airing of the upcoming episodes. My fic will have conflict in the real series because I had changed many of those and added a bit. Well just, go on to the next chapter.


	2. conversations and confrontations

**Chapter 1: conversation and confrontations**

It was dusk and a boy in the age of twelve was waiting in the bridge. He wore a yellow corn-like hair with it's end in an upward position as if he always sees a ghost. His forehead protector in his head with the symbol of their village; _Konoha_ or Hidden Leaf Village. He also wears his usual orange clothes. He was still waiting for someone to show up.

"It was late!" he said impatiently. Just yesterday, this certain pink-haired girl asked him in between his trainings to meet in that certain bridge. He was delighted to know that finally, as in, _finally_ Sakura is noticing him. Not just noticing him, she was actually asking him out on a date! He didn't bother to think that it was not a girl-y thing to do but he really likes it.

He blushed to the thought. Sakura is now fancying him! Not that big-headed Sasuke, His other teammate with jet black hair and eyes with matching his 'ever-know' sharingan. He could not blame him for being popular to girls. He could remember when Ino, Sakura are 'bestfriends' in the academy and once let go their friendship into rivalry because of this Sasuke, in the end no one gets notice by Sasuke even Sakura who were their teammates.

"Where was she?" He again asked into the invisible person. When she won't come early, he wouldn't be daydreaming with her. 'Oh! Naruto! Would you go out with me in the Ichiraku Ramen?' His daydreaming character, Sakura pleads to him.

"Oh! Sakura! I'd love to! I'd love to! Sakura! Sakura!" he said yelling at the top of his voice.

"Naruto!" Sakura emerge infront of him and absolutely dissolved his thoughts to ashes.

"Sakura!" he said in surprise. "How long had you been there?" It was true it was the _real_ Sakura facing him.

"Long enough to hear you are talking to yourself…" Sakura said disgusted to him.

"Ohhh… Why are you late?" He said rather in a not polite manner like he use to. "You told me yesterday that I need to be here at exactly 12:00 in the noon. You said you will say something to me an important issue, I had skipped my trainings to get here in our appointment, you know!" he again blurted out. Even he shouts at Sakura he knows she wouldn't be mad at her that is simply the way they communicate.

"I'm sorry, you wart. I had just some things to arrange before I went here."

"Hmp. Apology not accepted!" Naruto again yelled at her as if he just talking to another boy like him.

"I am not apologizing, Naruto!" she snapped. "C'mon now let's not waste time. I suppose you are starving, it was dusk and you hadn't ate…" she said walking at down at the bridge.

Naruto blushed a deep shade of crimson, so they were _actually_ dating! 'This is the time for a drastic action! Bwahaha!' Naruto thought to himself and catches up with Sakura.

"Where do you want to eat, Sakura?" Naruto asked her grinning. Sakura scowled at him. "This is the way to Ichiraku…" Naruto points the streets full of walking people. He takes a step to the road. Suddenly Sakura caught his clothes in the neck. "What is—?"

"We are not going to Ichiraku, Naruto." Sakura simply said and pulled him down to the track. "We are going to eat somewhere else, where no one can listen to what I am going to say to you." And led the way.

'_Where no one can listen to what I am going to say to you_?' Naruto blinked his eyes twice and catches up with her. Where are they going? Is it really true? Sakura now going to confess to him? He keeps on blushing. Sakura noticed it.

"Naruto, what's with you?" Sakura asked and looked puzzled.

He maybe some kind of an idiot sometimes but he was not that slow! He thought to himself, 'Can Sakura figure out that he had known what will happen next?'

They came inside the pub; he didn't catch the name of the pub and sat in the table. It was big, very big compared to Ichiraku. But then it was not packed, a good place to a confession. Several tables stand on it; it was high enough it almost looks like every table was a compartment.

"Are we going to have a shabu-shabu?" Naruto asked her, she simply nods. He grinned, 'This is the life!' he told himself loudly and grinning. Sakura scowled again to him.

A moment later, the waitress approached their table and asked them. "We want beef, several vegetables and for me a hot o-cha." Sakura insist to the waitress.

The waitress nod at Naruto, "Oh!" Naruto was gone daydreaming again and jumped. "Like hers too, but add an appetizer!"

"What appetizer?"

"Anything, sort of." The waitress was out of sight. Then Naruto keeps on glancing to Sakura. He does not know when was it coming. He then glance at the open window. Konoha was really a busy village, he thought as the people keep on going back and forth.

On the other hand, Sakura was eyeing intently the door of the pub. She seems too interested to the wooden door. Her lips trembling.

"This place is surely nice isn't it?" Naruto exclaimed, Sakura jumped.

"Yes, you were right." She said and answered a fake smile, Naruto frowned. _She was tense_.

"How come you knew this place?" Naruto asked and examined the ceiling of the pub.

"Someone had suggested this place to me…"

The door of the pub swung open and Sakura instantly spun her head to the door. Genma and his other jounin friends came inside. Sakura turn her head again to Naruto and frowning. The waitress had come back and gave them their orders.

"Barbeque!" he shouts with glee as if he had not yet eaten for ages. He cut the beef with the knife the waitress gave them. "I wonder what Kakashi-sensei is doing… I haven't seen him a lot lately…"

"Maybe he is in a mission or something…" she simply replied to him, "Why? Do you miss our sensei?"

"Of course…" He said now putting the cut beef to the grill and adding the vegetables. "I haven't seen his face, I still haven't thought of another strategy to reveal his face to us." He said his eyes full of mischievous gleam.

"Don't bother yourself, Naruto, he'll never _ever_ reveal his entire face to us." She snapped.

"Why not? I would not give up my hopes in revealing his face to us." He said cutting more beef with the knife and picturing out his jounin sensei. Shiny grey-white hair, He always wear those black forehead protector in a diagonal position that he's right eyes is covered, then he wears his endless for eternity heavy pitch black mask covering almost half of his face; only revealing his left eye.

"We had tried everything to reveal his secret face but nothing works isn't it?" Sakura again retorted to him.

"Oh! Sakura, it's just Kakashi-sensei is really bright…" he said examining the beef in the grill with his chopsticks. "He figure out what we are up to, and then he knows how to timing…" he lifted the partly roasted meat with his chopsticks. "We can let slip his face without us knowing it, when he least expecting it… like a counter attack, all of a sudden!" He said brightly and bit the piece of meat in his chopsticks, "Not yet done."

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled at him frantically. "Don't bite the meat when it is not yet done!"

"What! How could I know if it is done if I don't bite it?"

"Just turn it on the other side and if the color changes it is ready, eat that raw meat Naruto." Don't dare put that thing again in the grill!"

"Alright! Don't be mad." Naruto said and threw the meat outside the window.

"You are wasting food, don't you know that!" she said sarcastically.

"Am not! Akamaru is just below the window and waiting for a grace to come to him." Sakura eyed him for a while. "So, what are you going to say to me?"

Sakura was taken aback to what Naruto had asked; she didn't expect it too early. "Not yet now… patience is a virtue you know."

"I know that, I just don't have a clue of what are you going to say to me." He said and grinning, that was a total lie; he knew what she would say.

The door again opened and an unusual tall man wrapped with bandages with a small man accompanies him. Sakura turned her head together with Naruto instantly to the door. They haven't seen those people once in the village. They should be foreigners, he thought. Sakura fixed her dazed to the two.

The two strangers sat to the table next to them. The tall man glance at them, they both jumped and turn to face each other. Naruto pretending to turn the other side of the meat, and Sakura asking him if it was done. The two strange men ordered something to the waiter.

They exchange glances to each other. Naruto nod at Sakura's back, it means the two strange men. "Er… Sakura do you want these soup?" He asked her and pushing to her the bowl of steaming bird's nest soup or _nido soup_.

"It's alright." She said responding.

The men now talking to each other but not that loud, in fact they were whisperings at each other. Not that talking from the ear but they were leaning against each other. Actually, Naruto was taken aback what he suddenly saw them, he thought they were _snogging_.

Sakura stared at him for a moment. He understand what she means now, she wants them to eavesdrop to their little secret conversation. 'How Sakura could said that they would not go to Ichiraku for someone would be eavesdropping to them and yet, they are the ones eavesdropping now!'

Naruto sat next to Sakura and they both leaned against the back of their seats, hearing the whispering men.

"He was here, the right-hand man. He was actually recruiting here in Konoha…." The rat-faced small man said to his company.

"Are you sure, _he _was getting stronger now, for many followers to help him… now that he's certain creature he fancies is now in his side isn't it?"

"Konoha will now be conquered in no time; even this village had another powerful ruler…"

"Yes, indeed. We will begin our plan when the right-hand man signals us…"

Naruto straighten his bodily, he does not want to listen any more. He had heard enough, he had known what they were taking to… but another attack at Konoha! Who was these person? They were not obviously come from Konoha, and they do not wear forehead protectors. They must be some missing Nin! He thought. The waiter of the two strange men came to them and gave them their orders.

Sakura stared at him for a moment in disbelief in what had she heard, someone was plotting of conquering their village. Naruto too stared at her for a moment. Next thing, Sakura wants to open her mouth to say something but Naruto said Shhh!

Sakura _was_ right this place is the best place to talk about top-secret conversations. And not only has she known about it.

Another swung of door had heard. The two didn't bother who was coming, they are more disturb of what had they heard. What shall he do? Follow these two mad men and what; to be killed in the end, he definitely knew what the end of their journey is. Or walk straight in the Hokage-sama's office and blab these things he heard. Of course, he knew that Tsunade would believe him!

In a second he cannot feel Sakura beside him, she was cold and trembling, fighting her tears to fall down in her cheeks. It was just they heard that black propaganda of these mad jerks, but they hadn't heard those things for the first time!

"Sakura! Sakura! Are you alright?" he asked her.

Sakura just stared at him teary eyed.

"Sakura!" A familiar voice called her, she jumped back. "Naruto!" he then called by no other than Shikamaru. He was a thin boy at their same age his jet-black hair pulled in an upward ponytail his both ears with earrings, wearing a green vest means he is in an upper rank to them.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto screamed at the top of his voice, everyone in the pub spun their heads to see him even the mad men take a deep look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Huh?" Shikamaru replied, "I was asked by Sakura to go—?" before Could Shikamaru finished his sentenced Sakura stands to her seat and pushed the two boys away outside the pub.

"Sakura what is the meaning of this?" Naruto said exaggerating.

"I'll explain Naruto, if we could get out of this place as soon as possible!" she shouted at him. Naruto became silent and they three of them rush themselves to the woods.

"You know, we hadn't paid yet." Naruto reminded her.

"I know, I'll just drop there later to pay our bill… this is important!" She said and checking the place if it is clear.

"I know this is urgent Sakura but…" Shikamaru said folding his arms at the back of his neck like he used to do. "Why are you pushing us here in the woods, you said we are about to meet in the pub, you said to me." He said lazily.

"I know, it's just some things had happened before you came…"

Naruto wrinkled his forehead, he really don't know what they are talking about. All he knows is that Sakura and he are dating and Shikamaru is now here ruining his best day ever! "Sakura! You still haven't tell me why is Shikamaru is here!" he said loudly.

"I had told him to meet me in the pub, satisfied?" Sakura snapped to him. It does not make sense, it makes the situation much complicated.

"Why? I mean are we supposed to meet in the bridge this noon and you didn't tell me that Shikamaru is coming!"

"Well, I am sorry. I don't know if you would come if I said he was coming."

"Why? I have no air-borne disease or sort of!" Shikamaru blurted out to her.

"What do you think that I won't be seeing you just because Shikamaru the lazy bum is coming?" Naruto said impatiently to her. "So, go on tell us what you want to tell, we are _dying_ here."

"Alright, it's like this, Shikamaru is going to meet us Naruto in the pub for important news."

"What then!" Naruto shouted.

"It's about Sasuke-kun…" he said in low tone.

"Sasuke…?" Naruto said under his breath.

TBC…


	3. Topsecret Disclose!

**Chapter 2: Top-Secret Disclose!**

"What do you mean Sasuke?" Naruto asked her with surprise. Therefore, Sakura had invited him to go out so that they can discuss about Sasuke.

"Yes, Naruto it was all about Sasuke…" she trailed off and sat in the grass.

"What about Sasuke?" Naruto said feeling a little bit of sick. He can't believe it that she just asked him to say something about that big-headed Uchiha.

"Naruto, he was missing remember?" Sakura said ridiculously.

"Then?"

Sakura's mouth hang open to Naruto's reaction, has he not worried why Sasuke was missing. "This is not a joke, Naruto. Sasuke _is_ missing." Shikamaru joined them.

"Good! Sasuke is missing! Fine, so what's the point!" Naruto said with outrage.

"Don't you want to know what had happened to your teammate?" Shikamaru asked him feeling annoyed.

"I mean is Sasuke is missing, then?" He said standing up to the ground. "It's just like that, he preferred to be out of the sight of us… or…" he said glaring at them. "Train himself to death and he don't want to be disturb… or.." He again gasp for air, "Just kidnapped by his fan girls of his!"

"Naruto! He has no fans club." Shikamaru added. Sakura blushed and turned away her gaze at them.

"I still remember in the Chuunin Selection exam, Kakashi-sensei told me he wasn't going to train that Sasuke but when the final battle had arrived they had a dramatic entrance at the stadium!" Naruto again said angrily.

"But that was not the matter now!" Sakura shout at him for the first time they had this conversation. "Naruto, I know that you and Sasuke are rivals in our team but can you have a bit concern about him?"

"I _am_ concern about him!" Naruto corrected her, "It's just I am not _over-exaggerating_!"

"Right!" Shikamaru said to untense the situation. "By the way, I was telling you…"

"Shikamaru, not yet, I want tell you what those mad men had been talking about…" Sakura cut his statement. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Naruto who had been feeling calm again and feel like grinning sat next to him and busy watching the birds in the ceiling of the forest. "They had been talking about…_plotting_ something nasty about our village."

"Not new to me." Shikamaru said instantly.

"They telling about the _right-hand man_, I have no idea who the hell that was but this is disturbing!" She said softly as if someone was out there watching and listening. "And says that he was in our village and recruiting people…" She said.

"And they are planning of conquering Konoha." Naruto added.

"Who could that be?" Sakura asked the two of them.

"I don't know, it must be the ninjas of the Hidden Sand village." Shikamaru said promptly. "They had allied the Sound village before isn't it… or no it can't be, Sandaime had finished him off."

"Who was it?" Sakura said grasping fro breath.

"Orochimaru." Shikamaru said in a cold shrill voice. Sakura winced at the name; she was really frightened at that snake-faced devil.

"No! It can't be… he was dead… Sandaime had killed him…Sandaime had sacrifice his life to us all in murdering that evil twisted snake." Sakura yelp.

Naruto is just listening to them. He doesn't know what to say if he can blurt out the truth. But he felt guilty that he had known something. Still he didn't say anything to them for a moment. 'There is one thing that bothers me, who was the right-hand man and who was that creature the old mad man was referring to?" Sakura again asked the spiky-haired chuunin.

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked her and looked puzzled. Sakura repeated what the men in the pub was saying.

After retelling it to him, he was gone more puzzled that he was. "What the hell is that about, is that kind of a riddle or something? I don't feel like thinking at this moment." He exclaimed with his hand ran at the back of his ponytail. Sakura cast a here-goes-this-lazy-bum-again look to Naruto. Naruto just shrugged.

"Right-hand man, I can't think of someone without his left hand…" Shikamaru said brushing his chin with his fingers like a detective. Naruto then pictured out a ninja without a right hand, that was a funny yet insulting to a ninja.

"This is not a laughing moment Shikamaru!" Sakura frantically yelled at him. He jumped to his seat.

"Sorry." Shikamaru apologized and sweat-dropped.

"I think I know who was that right-hand man they were referring to…" Naruto finally said to the both of them. They both stared at him. Sakura cast an odd look at him as if he has no right to give or know some piece of information in life. Shikamaru now staring at him ridiculously.

"You are bluffing…" Sakura said and waved her had in the air.

"You think so? Try me?" Naruto said with the air of confidence. "Don't you really think I am not part of this world?"

"Alright, I am just making it sure, go on spit it out."

"The right hand man is no other than…" Naruto started. Sakura hold her breath. Shikamaru just listens to him intently. Naruto could feel all the attention of the two to him and felt embarrassed or shy. He cast a looked to the two back and forth and gulped down his throat.

"It was _Kabuto_." He finally said.

"No!" Sakura yelled at the top of her voice that made the birds in the trees to fly away to them. "I can't believe it! I don't believe it! You are lying…"

"Kabuto? You mean the one who was talking to us in the first test of the Chuunin Selection exam?" Shikamaru said and cannot believe it either.

Naruto nods in agreement. "I am 90 percent sure about it."

"No. Kabuto cannot do such a mean thing, had you forgotten he had helped us to get the scrolls of heaven and earth in the second test?" Sakura said. "He helped us, he was friendly and for that time we considered him as a friend. Naruto, you are jumping to conclusion then."

"Like before I knew was he was up to." Naruto instantly added to her. "Can't you see Sakura he was just hiding his own self, he was wearing an invisible mask."

"I think what you are trying to say Naruto, I remembered the day of our oral exam, when Sir Morino Ibiki was not yet there in the examination room he was talking to us, to us newly genins." Shikamaru paused for a while and thinking what had happened to the certain room, "Then he had showed us his Nin cards! That's it! He was recording everybody's statistics!"

"Well spotted! Therefore, he had helped our team to get the scrolls because he had to spy on us! And he has hidden agenda." Naruto said and grinning.

"And I had known that it was not the first time he had back out the third test, he had done that every time he took the Chuunin Selection exam!" Shikamaru added.

"And he was here in Konoha recruiting followers?" Sakura joined them again. "But how did you know Naruto?"

Naruto grinned mischievously and kitsune ears pop out of his head (anime style), "When Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei had a bad encounter with Itachi and was forced to get confined in the hospital, me and a certain perverted hermit had journeyed to the next village to search for the Konoha's lost Sannin." Naruto said grinning playfully to them. "Then we had faced that twisted-snaked-face evil and his loyal 'apprentice' in the particular village we are searching on…" He continued.

Sakura put her hand to her open mouth to cover her disbelief, Shikamaru just stared at him seriously and to Naruto it seems that there is a great battle inside his head. "He is… He is alive?" Sakura manage to talk despite with her awe.

"Certainly he is." Naruto nodded.

"But…" Sakura again said still her hand in her mouth.

"And I have a strong feeling what is our little chuunin was going to tell us eh?" Naruto said and gesturing to Shikamaru.

"OH! I nearly forgot." Shikamaru said. "It was like this… I had heard from the jounins talking the other day at the academy…" began and sitting nervously in the grassy ground.

"They were saying that Sasuke had been missing and…" he continued.

There was a pause and dead silence. Shikamaru eyed Naruto to Sakura and gulped down his throat. Sakura was shaking and eagerly waiting to what he will say and so is Naruto.

"It was confirmed… he had joined the Dark side…" he finishes with a sigh.

To what Shikamaru had said, Naruto thought Sakura would yell at him with outrage and tell to his face that Sasuke will not do such a move, but he was wrong. Sakura sat to her seat and almost going to fall to what had she heard a small gasp escaped from her mouth. She fell silent for a while did not know how to react.

"Are you alright Sakura?" Shikamaru asked her but with the looks of his face it seems that he knows the answer of his question.

"Who specifically?" Naruto turn to Shikamaru.

"They don't know. But to what you had told us… it must be _him_."

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura finally said. Her voice shaking and she looks like she was fighting her self to let her tears fall down to her cheeks. "There should be a mistake there… Sasuke-kun can't do that…" she trailed off.

Naruto and Shikamaru both exchanged looks at each other. They don't know how to calm her or make her comfortable. "Sakura… Sasuke is just brainwashed." Shikamaru said with great sympathy to her.

"He's right. He is just carried away by his revenge." Naruto agreed to him.

"No! I can feel that you two are just… just—trying to—make Sasuke-kun bad to me!" She said sniffing. "Naruto you twisted evil loser! You are just saying that to make Sasuke-kun a bad prat like you are!" Sakura yelled at his face at stands at her feet. They could feel her rage.

"I know he'll do everything, _everything_ to make revenge to his brother but not to the extend that he'll join that snake!" She again screamed. "You might be right; he's just training himself to death…"

"Sakura! Calm down!" Shikamaru shout at her to be able to hear her.

"You know that there is a great possibility that he'll join that snake!" Naruto hiss and her and stands to his seat too and facing Sakura a few inches away. "You know what he had told us at our encounter at him at the Forest of Death, _he'll seek for me, that I promise._"

Sakura's eyeballs widened. Shikamaru cast a puzzled look to him and also stand to his feet to get a good view at him. "What do you _mean_ your encounter at the Forest of Death? Your team had encountered _him_ at the second test of the Chuunin exam?" He asked with great curiosity.

This is not what he wanted, to blab the things they had experienced but it is like to be no other way to explain her. "No! We did not! See how this wart a liar!" Sakura spat to him.

"Shut it Sakura!" Naruto shouted at her. "We did encounter him at the second test. Just like I said he left a message to us." He said to Shikamaru. Sakura shot a dangerous look at him.

"Don't tell about it to him." She hissed. "We had sworn to Sasuke-kun not to tell."

"Well, to tell you Sakura I had not sworn to death I would not tell it." He snapped at her. Sakura shaking more than before and began to rock back and forth. "Sakura!" he yelled at her and before she could fall to the ground, he had caught her.

"Promise me Naruto, you don't tell it to him." She said with a whimpering tone. Naruto don't know what to do. He wants to tell everything to Shikamaru. He can be trusted but…

"It's alright Naruto don't tell me about it." Shikamaru said with his normal 'lazy bum' tone. "That is a military secrecy isn't it?"

"What I see, what I hear, what I fell, when I leave I leave it here…" Shikamaru said and gave him a natural smile.

Naruto gave him smile then too. Sakura got to herself again and sat at the ground. "Thanks, Naruto." She said feeling relief.

"So… the best thing to do now is to report this to Hokage-sama." Shikamaru announced.

Sakura frowned but did not say anything. "Yes, definitely, we all go straight to Hokage-sama's office." Naruto said seriously. Shikamaru darted his eyes left and right as if searching for something.

"I don't think that we can do that for now…" he muttered.

"What do you mea—n?" Naruto said. And with the split second, kunais and shurikens go flying towards them.

"We've been busted!" Naruto shouted at the top of his voice.

TBC…


	4. Trick Attack

**Chapter 3: Trick Attack!**

Several shuriken charged down to them. It seems that they were coming from the trees. A kunai was flying toward Sakura. Shikamaru had noticed it quickly and dived himself to Sakura to push her from the flying kunai.

SMACK!

The kunai missed Shikamaru and instead darted to the bark of the tree.

"Hey you two are you alright?" Naruto shouted to them as hundreds of kunai was targeting him and keeps on shielding himself.

"Good as new! Be careful Naruto!" Sakura shouted back to him. As she pulled her kunai to her holster.

"Oops!" Naruto said as he escaped the shuriken. For a minute the flying weapons keeps on targeting them and no one came out to them. "Must be the gits." He muttered under his breath.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted to him. "I think it was the gits at the pub!" she shouted again.

"Your guess is as good as mine!" he called back to her.

He then pulled his kunai and jumped to the tall trees and search for the attacker. He could not find them.

Shikamaru yelled at him at the ground. "Found them?"

He shook his head and jumped to the next tree. It seems they were just trying to frighten them.

CRASH!

He was hit by a shuriken. He had not seen that one coming! He falls down to the ground. It hit his left arm but not that deep, just a cut.

"NARUTO!" The two chorused and run for him at the ground. Another rain of weapons occurred and Shikamaru quickly dragged Naruto's body away from the piercing weapons.

"Are okay?" He said under his breath. He was exhausted. The attack didn't stop.

"Yeah, sort of." He managed to answer with a grin and got up to his self to the ground. "Just a little cut." He said gesturing to his cut.

"Naruto! You should be careful. That kunai maybe had poison." Sakura said with concern.

"That is a shuriken that hit him." Shikamaru corrected her. "But I think she's right. It must be poisoned."

"Listen, Shikamaru, We need to go to Hokage-sama's office now!" Naruto said with gritted teeth. "If those gits had caught us they'll surely kill us. The Hokage-sama must know about this." He added urgently. Shikamaru raised his eyebrow.

"I know Naruto. But first we had to plan our escape." He said in the low tone.

In the split second, a puff of smoke appeared to them feet way from them. Naruto heard Shikamaru cursed in the thin air. "I don't think you can think of a good tactic to escape us." An unearthly voice told them. It was a voice that Naruto had never heard before so _inhuman_ he thought. The two man in the pub appeared before them. The small rat-faced man spoke. He was wearing some kind of a ragged clothes that to his opinion it was not washed for centuries. And how awful his smell, he look the rat-faced man with disgust. He is uglier when smirking.

"So…" The tall man wrapped with white bandages said his hair from the back rise with him ordering it. He shriveled. 'Who is this man?' he thought to himself. Shikamaru was clutching the grass tightly as if picturing it was the two men's face. The tall man fixed his gaze to Naruto with his widened eyes that were not covered with bandages. In fact, it was only the part of his body not covered with bandages. It seems he was wearing nothing but bandages and a black belt. "So…" the tall man repeated.

Naruto was fighting his urge to answer back the man with 'So what?' but he think it was not the right situation to spit it out. They were in grave danger. However, for ninjas everyday is a mortal peril. Sakura shot a glare at them. "Who are you?" she said not in a friendly tone but rather in a rude way.

"If I were you missy I would keep my fat mouth shut. And I don't like your tone either." The rat-faced snapped at her. Sakura hold tight to Shikamaru like a dog whining not to whip by his master. The small once crack into a long manically laugh that echoed through out the forest. "Afraid aren't you?" it said to her mocking. Sakura squirm more to Shikamaru.

A long dreadful silence filled the place before the tall one spoke. "You've been found our little secret aren't you?" He said.

"What's with you if we have known?" Shikamaru said bravely but sounds irritated.

"Yeah, what's with us if they knew?" the rat-faced said grinning to the other one as if making them laugh about he had said.

The tall one rounded at him and said, "Don't try to sound funny here. These kids had just discovered our secret." And sounded annoyed to his 'little companion'. "And this is not good… poor poor rookies…" he continued. "You lot had known everything don't you eh?"

"Yes, and it took you two blokes a long time to found us do you?" Naruto spat at them.

The tall one smirk with muse. "Hear…Hear… we had found out that you are the biggest loser of this village when this…" as he gestured to Shikamaru, "Chuunin-san called your name at the pub."

"Orochimaru and Itachi were really up to their necks to have you in their own hands and to…" he took his own hand and mechanically crushed something invisible in his hands and still smirking. "Crush you into thousand of pieces… yes… that's what they really like to do to you…"

Naruto froze to the steady ground. Indeed, they were right, Itachi had once tried to murder him but fortunately, the perverted hermit had saved his life. Orochimaru on the other hand too had tried also to kill him but had failed several times. "What they want to Naruto and to Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked still beside Shikamaru and hiding at his back.

"Little missy… they want that wart to make their plan to be a success." The small one answered. "He is the only hindrance to our plan…"

The tall one straightened up and pulled at his back a sort of a katana. "Now… any last wishes to us?" he said and pulled the cover of the katana. "Or who does want to die first?" the small one added.

"No…No… we'll let them die at the same time… oh!" he pauses and thinks for a while. "Where do you want us to bury your corpse?"

Naruto came into a rage. He doesn't like the tone of these bad ninjas. Even they were just rookies it does not mean they were not that powerful enough to outwitted them. Naruto nodded at Shikamaru, who nodded back to him in return.

"In your dreams! We did not want to end our precious lives just taken by some pair of gits! Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted at the top of his voice. Without warning Shikamaru lunged to the tall one and trusted his kunai with hesitation. The tall one tumbled down with blood sputtering the ground. Sakura pulled as many as she can get shurikens and quickly threw at the small git at his face it fallen a back.

In that they take advantage that, the strange men were knocked on the ground and swiftly they jump to the nearest tree to them.

"Good." Shikamaru said and panting. "All we need to escape this gits is to plan…" he manages to say. "I therefore say, Naruto can you handle this gits and we'll go charging to Hokage-sama's office." Naruto nods in agreement.

"That is not a good plan eh?" the small git had recovered and blood was covered his face. "Planning your escape with your enemy just a few centimeters away from you!"

"Naruto, now!" Shikamaru commands him.

Naruto now stands firm at the branch of the tree and clasped his hand to each other and forming seals.

"_Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Naruto roared. With the flick of a finger, puffs of smoke covered the whole forest and emerged over hundreds of Naruto.

"Shadow-Clone technique!" the rat faced squealed with amazement.

"Now. Who wants to get hurt first? Just please raise your right hand!" one of the Naruto said with the air of confidence and frantically joking and raises his right arm. "Nobody wants?" he said mocking.

"Now! Go get them!" One of the Naruto who were standing at the branch ordered the hundreds of Naruto and pointing his index finger to the two.

Several Narutos charged down the two unknown men. And several lunging shouts can be heard and almost all of the birds remaining in the forest flew with the disturbance. He could see the two men strangling for their lives. "They are only bunshins." He heard the tall one said and knock off one Naruto in a single blow. It instantly turns into a puff of smoke.

Naruto did not immediately got stunned at the tall man did. It will take several minutes to discover the true Naruto. Nevertheless, to Naruto's calculations he was terrible wrong. They had deal on some powerful ninjas. They maybe some missing Nins who are class- S criminals.

The last remaining bunshin had turned into a smoke. "Pretty good idea huh?" the rat-faced git smirk at him as he arranged his kunai and firm his grip. Naruto now wants to run for his life now but it makes no sense.

The rat-faced ninja jumped up to where Naruto was standing and thrust his kunai as deep as possible to Naruto. It did not gave time to Naruto to scream or to call back Shikamaru and Sakura, all he could is to froze where he was standing and his eyes widening with pain. The rat-faced smirk, the worst smirk he had ever seen. He much more ugly when is near.

The rat-faced man pulled on his kunai and expecting his blood will flow and sputter everywhere in the place but it was not what had happened.

When the kunai had realese from Naruto, he immediately became a puff smoke.

"Damn it! Another bunshin!" the rat-faced cursed.

A mile from that place Shikamaru, Sakura and Naruto were still at the forest and jumping from trees to trees. "We still have a mile before we can escape this thick forest." Sakura said and jumping to another tree branch.

"And if we had reached the town, they will have difficulty in following us." Shikamaru added irritably.

For a few minutes, they hadn't sensed that the two gits were following them. It was a good idea of Shikamaru to take advantage of his expertise in Shadow cloning and to escape to them without noticing them. But then he reckons that they will definitely knew how to fight the clones but it was good to take their time and they'll go rushing to town.

"Are the gits coming?" he yelled at Shikamaru. Shikamaru spoke at not turning to him and fixing his gaze to the trees, "They are not, for now. I suppose they we'll be coming a few minutes from now."

"How about this…" he said and leaped at the next branch of tree and got his balance. "We'll have our first plan… to split up and stop them."

"I don't think so. We'll stick to our plan B."

"But it will be a lot easier to split into two groups… I mean you and me we'll left behind here and fight those jerks and Sakura will report this to Hokage-sama."

"You are mad Naruto." Shikamaru said softly, "We can't do that."

"But why?"

"Naruto…" Sakura joined them as they swiftly jumped across the forest with their foot. "That is what those gits wants to happen…" she said, "Us to be separated and they'll can finished off us one-by-one." She finally said with gritted teeth.

Naruto frowned at the thought. He did not thought about that, how stupid he really was. "Then we'll proceed to our plan C then?"

"Yes. But then if they are coming…" Shikamaru said.

Miles away they could hear two kinds of creature jumping from trees to trees. "I reckon they had finished off you clones…" Shikamaru blurted out and his face shows he is nervous and not to mention lazy to fight.

"Now Naruto… another bunshin again." He commanded to him.

Naruto stops into a halt in the branch of an enormous tree. He roared again and puffs of smoke flowed.

For a few minutes, the smoke had partly cleared off the forest and the two men had arrived and found the three Konoha ninjas. "Ready to take a close-combat?" the rat-faced spat with amusement.

"Those clones made me sick… but you made us surprise with that." He added and gesturing to him. "Ready?"

"We are ready when you are!" the three chorused and both teams charged at each other.

Flying kunai everywhere, that was the scene, yet when Naruto had punched hard the tall one in turned into a smoke. "Bunshin?" he muttered under his breath and with disbelief.

"So you are not the only one knows how to make clones!" the rat-faced charged at him and punched him hard to that cause him to fall on the ground, but to the rat-faced disbelief it turned out to be another clone and puffs of smoke filled the ground. "Not another bunshin!" he then snarled with anger.

"When Naruto is around, expect a sea of bunshin." Shikamaru said smirking to the rat-faced man.

"Hmp and I expect you are a bunshin too eh?" it replied with a victorious laugh followed. Shikamaru's eyeballs grew wide and a flying kunai hit him, he became a puff of smoke too.

"And I knew the lot of you are actually fleeing…" the rat-faced man muttered under his breath.

"Naruto! They had finished off easily our clones! You have to produce another batch of clones to stop them!" Sakura yelled at them in between her jump in the tall tree.

"They have?" Naruto asked her loudly and disbelieving that the gits had finished off his bunshins, he was getting worn-off not to mention his charka is about to get to it's minimum level. Naruto came into a halt in the tree and cried for the last time, "Kage- Bunshin no—?"

SMACK!

Naruto was hit in his shoulder blade with a kunai off-guard; he fell instantly in the ground. Shikamaru and Sakura spun their heads around to see who had hit Naruto, it was the tall one.

"How could—?" Sakura let out a grasp.

The two men had catch to them easily after fighting the clones, but it was almost a mile when they left the clones to fight them. Naruto pulled out the kunai had struck him and blood sputtered in the ground. How could they have done it?

"Pretty good, bushins eh?" the small one emerge to the next tree where the tall one standing it. They cannot pass through, they are blocking the way, and they have to fight to them before they could pass.

"One down, two left…" the small one continued. " I believe that these two were basically clones eh?"

"You have a good job of producing clones, you think you can out-smart us eh?" the tall one once again joined them. Shikamaru and Sakura were still silent.

They had known their plan! Naruto thought, this was not good.

"Now, fight to us like soldiers!" the tall one roared. In the split second, the two men charged to Shikamaru and Sakura. Naruto wants to jump to the trees and help them but his wound had strike a painful ache and another blood sputtered to the ground, "Damn it!" he cursed.

Shikamaru easily jumped to another tree and not caught either of them. "Shadow Manipulating technique!" he cried and his shadow came to life and stretching toward the tall one, the sun is now about to set and they were facing the red orange sun.

"Not that fast!" the tall one jumps between the trees to avoid Shikamaru's shadow.

The small one and Sakura's kunai meet in their hands. "Surrender now your life little miss!" the small on said mockingly.

"Never!" Sakura cried and broke their connection and once again charge him with all her might.

The small one missed Sakura's attack and it was his turn to attack her, Sakura was not paying attention and…

SMACK!

The rat-faced man had struck Sakura in the stomach. Sakura let out a grasp.

"SAKURA!" Naruto yelled at the top of his voice and instantly jumped into the tree not bothering the pain of in his shoulder. "Kage-Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried and another Naruto appeared in the small puff of smoke. "It is your last day today!" he roared at the small one and charging him with a punch.

Sakura's body falls to the ground and became a log. "Huh? Kawarimi?" Naruto said with disbelief.

"Naruto, step aside!" Sakura emerge behind the rat-faced man and holding a kunai in both hands and in her mouth. Naruto jumped to the next tree with his clone.

The rat-faced man easily avoided her hurtle, causing Sakura to lost her balance and fall to the ground.

"Now is the time!" Naruto said with a split second, one of the Narutos hand formed a blue-colored charka in his hand.

The other Naruto uses his both hands to quickly forming it into a whirl.

"RASENGAN!"

The small one darted at the ground with great impact almost creating a crater in the earthy ground.

Shikamaru spun his head to Naruto instantly with great awe, he cannot belief what Naruto had done and it shows in his face. Shikamaru had finally caught the tall man's shadow.

"Now, the other one!" Naruto said gesturing to the tall man trapped into Shikamaru's shadow.

"STOP!" a familiar voice of a woman echoed through the forest.

The three looked in every direction to see who it was. In a few seconds of searching to the invincible woman Naruto grasp fro breath and yelled at the top of his voice…

"OLD TWISTED HAG, TSUNADE!"

TBC…


	5. Masked Mission

**Chapter 4: Masked Mission**

Naruto attack the other one off-guard into Shikamaru's shadow. Quickly Shikamaru held his shadow back to his body. The tall man fall also into a great impact to the ground creating another crater.

"That's Hokage-sama for you, Naruto." A woman in between twenty's to thirty's has appeared in the puffs of smoke. She had a corn-like yellow hair flowing at her back in a neat pigtail ponytail. She wore a red sort of a hat and a coat with a Japanese character written in red at the back of her coat saying 'gambler'. She looks young but as Naruto knows, she was in her fifty's.

Sakura and Shikamaru quickly joined him and got a good view of their ruler of the village. "Hokage-sama!" the two chorused with incredulity. In that moment, Shikamaru's facial expression wants to ask her, 'What are you doing here?' but that was really rude, he was a chuunin, and he should have great respect to her.

"Old Tsunade! What are you doing here?" he asked her loudly with respect as if just asking a friend or sort of.

Sakura strike his head, "Naruto, show respect!" she insist.

"It is alright, Sakura-san. I am used to that wart… well now; I have heard what you are talking about a while ago."

"You're here even before we had got here do you?" Naruto accused her with rudeness. "And you didn't bother to help us?"

"That has a purpose… I see you three had knock off these two men." She said gesturing to the two fallen men in the ground. Even if Naruto was shouting at her, she manages herself to stay calm.

"Yes, we reckon they were class S criminals in other countries." Sakura said to her.

Tsunade walks to the ground and examine them one by one. The three followed her. "Tsk Tsk… poor poor men… you lot sure their tongues had stick out of their mouth…"

The three exchange glances at each other and grinned. Old Tsunade was impressed to them. "C'mon, you three!" she caught their attention she was about to leave the two men unconscious in the ground. "I have to tell something to the lot of you… and it is getting dark…" she said gesturing to the pitch black sky. It was true; they haven't noticed it was dark.

"Er… but Hokage-sama, aren't we just leaving these two men unconscious?" Shikamaru asked her with respect. "Aren't we calling some anbus to get them?

"Oh, they'll just stay there… they will be alright in a few minutes…" she replied.

"But… Hokage-sama, they were likely to be a class S criminals, we cannot let them stay here. What if they do something nasty in our village?" Sakura said with great concern.

Tsunade stared at her for a moment, and she smiled a bit. To Naruto it was a mischievous smile, there is something behind that smile she wore. "It's alright Sakura-san, come and follow me."

Shikamaru followed her, with Naruto and Sakura left behind. Sakura's forehead wrinkled. It was as if there was a great battle in her head. Before Sakura could utter another word, Naruto blurted out to old Tsunade, "Old Tsunade! What should we do to their unconscious body?"

Tsunade came into a halt, so is Shikamaru to face them. Shikamaru scowled, he was getting lazy again. "Alright…" she said followed by a sigh.

"You two, come over here!" she commands, her hands gesturing to come over her.

"What?" the two chorused with puzzled look.

"No, not you two, those men behind you!" she answered back. They both turn their back to see whom was she referring to.

In the crater Naruto did, the two men's eyes popped open. The two stand aback with surprise. The two men slowly got to their feet. Naruto does not know what to do, if he should hit them now or let old Tsunade do it for him. On the other hand Sakura hid behind Naruto, she looked frighten, after Naruto had hit them with his whirling Rasengan they had manage to get up. Shikamaru who was beside old Tsunade was taken aback to with great surprise and slowly shifted his gaze to the Hokage.

"You two had done a great job." She said followed a laugh.

In a split second puffs of smoke appeared to them and revealing the two men, Naruto's jaw drop to the ground—the two men did a Henge no Jutsu.

"Ibiki, Anko Thank you for cooperating with me." Old Tsunade thank the two jounins with glee and seeing Naruto his blue eyes popped open with astonishment.

"What is the meaning of these, old Tsunade!" Naruto shouted at her, he was likely to be mad at her, they had been tricked! They had been stupid not to know, they were resident jounins of Konoha!

"Yo! Naruto!" Anko grinned at him. She was the same Jounin who had given them the second test in the Chuunin exam. She wore her hair in an upward spiky way, she wore a yellow cloack not those green vest that regular jounins wear netted blouse under it and metal-plated boots and she always wear that tomboyish smile to everyone. "That charka-ball surely hit me into the ground!" she said excitedly and still grinning at him.

"Hokage-sama, is that mean that we had fought these elite jounins today?" Shikamaru asked.

"Definitely, you were." She answered back.

"Ms. Anko, why did you disguise a rat-faced git?" Sakura asked her. Naruto now much appreciate Anko's appearance than before.

"I was wondering why you didn't noticed Anko, they were like twins eh?" Ibiki answered jokily. He was unusually tall man with scared face and wore those leathery black coats; he was the special jounin of Konoha. All of them roar into laughter except for Naruto in what he had said. He still cannot believe that old Tsunade had tricked him without purpose.

"Well, then our duty is over tonight, Hokage-sama. It was a great pleasure to work with you, Tsunade-sama." Ibiki said now in a serious tone. Old Tsunade nod to him and to Anko.

"See you soon, I hope the two of you won't call me a 'git' on the next time I see you in the next chuunin exam!" Anko winked at Naruto and Sakura. And they both disappeared in puffs of smoke.

"So… can we go now in my office?" Tsunade asked the three of them.

"For what?" Naruto snapped at her.

"I think you lot need some wound treating." She said with the air of confidence. She was right. He had not noticed his left shoulder was still bleeding; Sakura and Shikamaru were bruised and had shallow cuts.

And after a moment, his stomach growled loud enough to be heard by his companions.

"And I think you need to eat." She added with suppressed giggles.

It was a long walk going to the Hokage-sama's office. It took them almost an hour to get there, not to mention old Tsunade had healed their wounds before walking out of the woods. They had arrived in the flight of stairs going to the Hokage-sama's office. The whole village was gone quiet by now, it surely about to be midnight and yet Naruto had not yet eaten. He had just taken a bite of those barbeque they had in the pub. The pitch-black blanket of sky without the evening stars greeted them. There they stood in the flight of stairs towards the Hokage-sama office. They need to climb the hundred stairs to get there. Climbing in the stairs is really tiring but the good scenery of the whole village was overwhelming. He sighs as they climb in the stairs.

It was just like yesterday when he had first stepped into that same flight of stairs—it was a bright, sunny day, he had cut classes and instead he went to the top of the mountain where the past and present Hokages were engraved. He had vandalized their faces that cause every villagers attention. His chuunin-sensei does not know what to do to him. If he should get punishment or detention and in the end his chuunin-sensei decided to face him to the present day Hokage.

He was really pissed off that day, he do not know why he had to go to the Hokage-sama's office. As he walk to the circular hallways of the building, he was stomping his feet to show his disapproval in sending him there. Iruka-sensei was angry with him that day for what he had done. He knocks at the door gently as an old voice answered back at the door and said, "Come in…"

They both entered the door and found the present Hokage sitting in his chair. He was really old for having a title 'the greatest ninja'—his hair was almost all silvery white and his beard, his faced wrinkled in every bit, he wears of course the Hokage-sama's uniform—red sort of a hat with Japanese characters painted to it meaning 'fire' and white and red robes.

"Come over here." The old voice of Sandaime commands him. His voice has a hint of anger. He trotted to him with laziness and faced him personally. In that moment he did not pay attention to what was he blabbing, Sandaime was really angry of what he had done, it lasted for a few minutes of sermon and at last—it was enough he thought.

Without warning, he performed a Henge-no Jutsu, he performed the sexy technique to him. Sandaime's nose bleed in what he had done, he was a perverted man also he thought. He tried to escape to the office but then the door swung open and a boy rushed to them gripping a kunai ready to attack the Hokage.

Later he did know it was the Hokage-sama's grandson, Konohamaru. He was really a stubborn kid before; he wants to defeat his own grandfather so that he could get the title 'Hokage'. Nevertheless, it was not in the rules of the village. He was only about eight years old and still studying in the academy.

There again they were climbing in the stairs, his clouds of thoughts had vanished into the freezing breeze of the midnight wind. They had reached the circular hallways and to the doors of the office. Old Tsunade stirred the doorknob and opened the door gently.

"Come on in." she said.

That day when Sandaime had called for him for his pranks, the Hokage-sama's office was packed with bookshelves with lots of books all about ninja. There are also cabinets of scrolls. In the left side of the room, facing the table portraits of past and present Hokages are hanged in the wall in colors of black and white. The window is always open so that the warm breeze of summer can get inside the room as the white curtains dance with it.

Today the present Hokage's office was a little bit different; Sandaime's books were changed into old Tsunade's medical books. The cabinets were the scrolls are kept were gone instead tables with high chair was present with fancy tablecloth. A wardrobe about six feet high was kept also the room, it had glass-stained window and on the top of it was the snoozing pig her apprentice owned. The portraits of the past Hokages were still there and it seems that it was been clean with a cloth for it has no trace of dust.

They all came inside the office. Sakura keeps on examining every corner of the room; she was definitely not gone into the Hokage-sama's office before. On the other hand, a Naruto and Shikamaru just stand into their feet as old Tsunade draws more chairs before her table.

She sat down in her cozy armed chair and said, "You may sit down." They all sat down. Naruto can feel his stomach grumbling for food.

"A cup of tea, I therefore say?" Tsunade asked all of them. Sakura refuse.

"A cup of what?" Naruto blurted out, he does not want a cup of tea. He wants ramen for now.

"Tea, Naruto. Do you fancy a tea?" Tsunade repeated she was still calm. And she got the kettle and poured some into the three cups. She gave all of them.

"Why do I have the feeling you had put something nasty in the tea?" Naruto said sarcastically and pushed his cup of tea away from him.

"Do not be ridiculous Naruto." Tsunade snapped at him.

"Er… Hokage-sama, excuse me for my rudeness… but why did you brought us here?" Sakura asked her as she pretends to sip her tea.

"Funny you had asked Sakura-san…" she said playfully and got up to her armed chair. "I had thought that the news about Uchiha Sasuke had spread over the village…"

"About Sasuke—what about Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked again.

"It that about the rumors that Sasuke was gone missing?" Shikamaru joined them and putting his cup down.

Naruto crossed his arms. It was about Sasuke _again_. And since when did old Tsunade was interested with Sasuke? He thought. "Shikamaru, it was not only rumors. You had known it do you?" Tsunade said walking back and forth beside the table. "You had heard the news to the jounins back in the academy."

Shikamaru cannot lie now, he nods his head gently. "But… they were not that sure, it was only a rumor they say."

"That is a rubbish! The jounins had only said that for they had lately realized that you _were_ eavesdropping in their conversation."

"Is that mean Sasuke-kun is really missing, Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked again.

In that moment, Naruto wants to say something but before he had opened his mouth Tsunade said, "Before you could say Naruto that Sasuke had kidnapped by his fan girls, I therefore say he was not!"

Naruto was taken aback; old Tsunade knew what will him going to say. "But poor, poor rookie, I do think his fan girls would that be desperate to kidnap him, isn't it Sakura?"

Sakura blushed in deep red, turn her gaze into the portraits of the Hokages, and found it interesting. "Just like I said, Uchiha Sasuke is missing. And this is not good."

"Had you researched where could be Sasuke hiding?" Naruto said.

"That would be your job." She said and finally sat into her chair.

The three of them jumped to their seats and exchanged looks at each other. Before all of them could utter a single word, the door of the office swung open and a woman emerged from it and dashing to the table. The three again jumped to their seats in surprise. She had a black short hair and wearing robes like Tsunade, she was holding a tray packed with delicious, aromatic barbeque. Naruto began to salivate, the aroma of the barbeque blew to his nostrils, and for a second he had seen the steam forming a hand pulling him to get nearer to the tray of delicious barbeque. Sakura tugged his rib and he came back to his senses.

"Shizune, had you cooked the barbeque?" old Tsunade asked her. Shizune was old Tsunade's apprentice. She was a medical ninja like old Tsunade.

"Er… yes of course Tsunade-sama!" Shizune answered back and gesturing the tray of food.

"Good." She said and catches Naruto's eyes. "Put it just here in my table."

"Er… Tsunade-sama, have you seen Ton-Ton?" Shizune asked nervously. "I think he had a short walk or sort of, he maybe had been captured by a restaurant owner and had been roasted!"

"Not to worry, Shizune, He is here." Tsunade said and pointed the pig in the wardrobe.

Shizune sighs in relief, "Goodness! I thought something had happened to him! Oh well if you just need me I will be in the next room." She reminded her. She turned to Naruto and the others. "Hi Naruto, I have not seen you a lot lately." And she winked.

"Alright then, Shizune, you may go." Tsunade commands to her. Shizune jumped to her feet, bowed to her, rushed to the door, and gently closed it.

"Where am I?" Tsunade asked as she thinks where she had stopped, "Oh! Yes! That one, I had told you Naruto, that Sasuke was missing and his fan girls did not kidnapped him, and it was not good."

"Er… yeah…" Naruto dreamily replied his gazed firmly fixed in the tray of barbeque.

"It means that we need to find him, my researchers told me that he had gone to the other country."

"Other country? Where?" Shikamaru blurted out.

"Did he go to Sound Village?" Sakura instantly said bravely.

"No. Honestly, he did not. I know what you are thinking Sakura, that Sasuke is now joining Orochimaru's troops to be more powerful.

"He did not! But—?"

"It was just a presumption that Uchiha Sasuke was going to join Orochimaru, and that would be very bad."

"Is that mean, Orochimaru was really alive?" Shikamaru asked ridiculously as if it was impossible.

"'Course he is! I had personally faced him in the castle town near Konoha, asked Naruto about it." The two quickly spun their heads towards Naruto as if their neck was going to break. Naruto jumped in surprise, he was not listening to them he was still looking at the tray of food. "That is why I want to test you three. Since your team, Sakura and Naruto had been break apart for Sasuke was missing; I had decided to make Shikamaru your temporary teammate."

"WHAT!" Shikamaru and Naruto blurted out.

"That lazy bum Shikamaru, a teammate! Please! I am enough of a big-headed Sasuke!" Naruto said in disapproval.

"Neither do I! I don't want to be that wart's teammate; I am satisfied with my teammates, thank you!" Shikamaru said too lazily.

"Who are you referring to a 'big-headed' Naruto!" Sakura said with outrage forgetting that old Tsunade was still with them.

The three started to argue in a loud manner. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" Tsunade yelled at them to stop. "If all of you would not stop bickering at one another, I would not give this barbeque."

The three's jaw dropped. And silence filled the room.

"Good. Now you can have the barbeque, Naruto." She said and pushes the tray to him. Naruto was delighted. Sakura again tugged his rib. "What now?" He asked in a low tone.

"How could you have the enthusiasm to eat in this situation?" she asked ridiculously also in a low tone.

"I haven't eaten, you know!" he answered back sarcastically. If he had known that this day would be very stomach-growling day he had brought as many food as he can in his bag.

"So… the lot of you would be a new team."

"Hey old Tsunade, We haven't agreed on that!" Naruto said as he chomps on to his barbeque.

"I don't need you to accept it, whether you want it or not, you three would be a new team—for now." She snapped to him. "That is why we had tricked you in the forest, it was an excellent idea—of Jiraiya, to disguised Ibiki and Anko as followers of Orochimaru, we had discovered your strength and weaknesses."

"What have you discovered, old Tsunade!"

"That you were still narrow minded!" she snapped. "And still team work will bring every mission to a success."

Yeah right, Naruto said. He had heard that a million times before with his no other than sensei—Kakashi. "So what was your point?"

"I will give a mission to the lot of you—as a new team…"

Naruto spat his barbeque without warning in the floor, Sakura said 'Ughh'.

"A MISSION!" the three chorused.

"Yes, a mission… to find Uchiha Sasuke, to act as spies against Orochimaru and his henchmen—"

"Is that include Kabuto—?" Naruto butt-in.

"—and to persuade Uchiha Sasuke not to join them."

Naruto grew excited, even if they would go on a mission with a new teammate and only to find Sasuke, it will surely would make his skills improve. And not to mention to show his new techniques to them and to tell them that he was not the Naruto they knew who were the academy's number one dropout and a loser!

"When will be our mission begins?" Naruto asked excitedly. Sakura smiled at him, for she was relief that Sasuke had not yet joined Orochimaru's mad men.

"I could not tell you for now, maybe a month or two from now." She explained. "When that time comes, I will inform you what will be exactly your mission is."

"Not now?" Naruto said as his voice dropped in disappointment.

"That's all. Thank you for discussing these matters to you. I hope that mission will be a success." She said with her voice a hint of concern. "You may go now."

They got to their feet and bowed to her as a sign of respect. "Thank you for the barbeque, old Tsunade!" he waved back to her as they were about to close the door of her office.

"Don't thank me, Naruto! It was the same barbeque you had in the restaurant you and Sakura had left without payment! The owner of the restaurant had charged you a double receipt!" Tsunade called back to him and handling him two receipt and banged the door of her room closed.

"WHAT! OLD TSUNADE HAD CHARGE HER LIQUOR TO OUR RECEIPT! OLD TSUNADE COME OUT OF YOUR OFFICE NOW!" Naruto yelled at the top of his voice hoping that old Tsunade would come out of her office and pay their bills. Sakura and Shikamaru just exchange looks at each other.

TBC…


	6. Mad Jounins

**Chapter 5: Mad Jounins**

Two days after that day when old Tsunade had informed them that he and Sakura will have a new teammate in the person of the chuunin, Shikamaru she had told them they should get ready for a mission a month or two from now. He had woken up by the blazing sun in the window in his deep sleep. He had not taken his daily trainings after that day, he was worn-out, and spends the next two days in sleeping in his room.

This day he looks forward to his regular training schedules. He got up quickly and took a bath and pulled on his usual orange jumpsuit and his ever 'must have' forehead protector that he rarely polishes but still gleaming when directed by the flaming sun. He got his equipments, his kunai, shurikens and some scrolls and off he left his room to the thick forest of Konoha.

He usually trains in that it spot in the forest. He hums as he walks to the trail and keeps on grinning, he wonders what kind of training Sakura and Shikamaru were doing. Sakura would not be up to her neck or train to death, she was always been doing her mother's errands since they had no missions. Shikamaru on the other hand would be training himself to be a good chuunin (not to mention to be an academy sensei) so he would not be like him, training forever.

He had finally arrived to that spot, and drew the bush to pass through. He heard attacking voice of a person. He walks closer to get a perfect view, who was it.

"HAYAH!" and several banging sounds occur. It was Lee. He was ahead from him in age but he had met him and his teammates in the chuunin exam. He always wear those green fitted jumpsuits like his favorite sensei wear. He also wears his hair like sort of a coconut husk, but it was jet-black. And those ever known orange legwarmers and not to mention his signature thick black eyebrows. He was indeed looked like his sensei, not only in the matter of techniques but also in their looks and attitudes, those thick eyebrows and oh! Those striking 'nice guy pose' that their teeth sparkling like a star that gives him the creeps. But then, Lee was his friend for what happened in the chuunin exam.

It maybe Lee's first day of training, he thought. It was in the chuunin exam when Gaara of the Sand had injured his leg and from now on, he cannot use it. Old Tsunade told him to forget his dream of being one of the greatest ninja in Konoha for his case won't have cure. It was the hardest thing to accept in the ninja world, that you cannot be a ninja forever. Lee and old Tsunade did not lose hope. Old Tsunade did everything to find how Lee could get his leg back. Therefore, old Tsunade performed the operation to Lee, and it was a success, she had advised him not to train for a season to make the wounds healed.

"Hayah!" Another shout from Lee echoed through the trees of the forest. He wanted to join him and congratulate him but his feet uncontrollably turn around and he run back to busy streets of Konoha. He wanted him to have privacy in his 'first day of training'.

Therefore, instead of training in the forest, he decided to change his plan for today, he turn to the other track going to Ichiraku. He would take his breakfast then he would decide what he would do next.

He hums again as he drew closer to the brightly colored stand of the Ichiraku. "Ohayo Naruto!" The man in the Ichiraku greeted him with glee. Naruto had known him ever since he started to the academy. In that, particular restaurant Iruka-sensei had given him free ramen and after graduating, he still eats there and the owner was fond of him. (He even gave Naruto a free delicious ramen with all sorts of sidings before his fight in the main battle of the chuunin exam!)

"Ohayo oji-san!" Naruto greeted him with delightfulness. He can now savor the sumptuous ramen after two long days. "One ramen please!" he shouted and pulled his meal stub in his forehead protector.

"I haven't seen a lot of you Naruto lately, are you busy with your trainings ne?" he asked as he tossed the noodle to the bowl of steaming broth.

"Er… sort of… I was busy in something he he he!" he replied followed by laughs and grins.

"Here is your ramen, Naruto." He handed him the bowl full of mouth-watering ramen. "Thanks oji-san!" replied.

He grabs those wooden chopsticks in the table and snapped it in to two. In no reason, he glances to his left and see who was in Ichiraku in that early…

His eyes popped open and his chopsticks nearly fall out of his hands it was no other than—Kakashi-sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei!" he asked ridiculously. He hasn't seen his jounin instructor lately. And now he had popped out of nowhere when he did not expect it. "How long have you been there?"

"Just a while ago." His sensei replied coolly and not taking off his eyes (or eye) in a red and orange colored book. It was the same book he was reading the day when he had first met his jounin sensei. He scowled, another Icha Icha Paradise day with him. "How are you Naruto, you fine?"

"Er… sort of." He said and starting to eat his ramen. "What about you? I haven't seen you a lot lately, had you gone from a mission?"

"Let's just say it was like that." Again, it did not bother to face Naruto and his gaze still fixed to the book.

Naruto continued to eat again, this conversations would lead to nothing. His sensei is very secretive, even he and his other teammates had not yet seen his whole face, his life before, his parents and sort of. However, he wants to tell him about what old Tsunade had told him, maybe after his breakfast. Kakashi-sensei definitely had no clue what had happen in Konoha after his mission.

"When did you arrive in Konoha, huh, Kakashi-sensei?" he asked still eating and his mouth full of noodles.

Kakashi-sensei gave him a glowered look, "don't talk when your mouth is full, Naruto. I had just arrived today, I am on a holiday."

"Just today, as in now!" he blurted out, "I mean, why are you not resting after a tremendous mission?"

"Don't worry, after my breakfast I would go straight to my apartment and take a good rest." He said. Naruto's forehead wrinkled a bit, Kakashi-sensei had not ordered a single ramen yet, and there were no unused bowls before him.

"Who was with you in your mission?"

"Do I need to answer that?" Kakashi-sensei asked him with a tone, mind-you-own-business.

"Alright then, I need to tell you, old Tsunade had—?" he was cut off.

"Hokage-sama, Naruto. You should pay respect to her." Kakashi told him.

Naruto threw a nasty look at his sensei, "As I was saying old Tsunade had given us a mission. But she did not know when it will start."

"I reckon you fancy a training schedule under me, is that correct Naruto?"

Naruto grinned, "Well spotted! I am free everyday!" he informed him.

"Naruto, I told you, I am into holiday. I would love to train you and the others but I had to do some important things." He refused to him, before Naruto could complain he told him, "More important than your trainings."

"But—But this is _important_! I need, we need, and Sakura and Shikamaru need your guidance."

"Wait!" he was stopped into the track, "Sakura and Shikamaru!"

"Old Tsunade had told us Shikamaru will be our new teammate temporarily for Sasuke was missing."

"Shikamaru? The newly chuunin?" Kakashi asked.

"Hai! Shikamaru would be part of our team. You won't mind ne?"

Kakashi felt silent, thinks for a while, and put down his book. Naruto on the other hand was still explaining to him, "I mean Shikamaru was a lazy bum but he was really good in combat, he was chosen as a chuunin so it means he is really good…blah…blah…blah!"

"Wait!" Kakashi stops him, "If Shikamaru was your newest teammate, and then why do you need me as a guardian in your trainings—he is a chuunin!"

"You had forgotten that he _is _lazy! And he is a chuunin, he needs some time to the academy." He told his sensei. How dare he often tell him he was narrow-minded considering he was one!

Kakashi looks like he was defeated and it looks to his masked face that he does not want to train him for he was just wasting his holiday just looking out for his student instead of goofing around and reading his favorite novel. There was a long silence and Naruto was tired of waiting for Kakashi-sensei's answer and sipped the last remaining broth in his bowl.

Another person came in the restaurant and sat to Naruto's right. She was Kurenai, jounin instructor of Hinata, Kiba, and Shino. She had a jet-black hair trailing to her shoulders and red-eyed female. She wore some kind of a dress in colors of red and white and white bandages in her arms and of course her green vest indicating she was a jounin. "One ramen please, oji-san!" she shouted with respect to hear her order.

"Yo! Kurenai!" Kakashi greeted her. Kurenai just glance at him and nods. "I see you haven't got Asuma by your side."

"Don't be ridiculous Kakashi. Thank you oji-san." She said as her order came.

"Kurenai-sensei, had you gone from a mission?" Naruto asked her.

"Er… yes, Naruto. I was off in a mission with some of the jounins in our village—including your sensei." She retorted. Naruto rounded at Kakashi who took his book again and began reading it. "How many times had you read that novel, huh, Kakashi?"

"It is none of your business, Kurenai." Kakashi replied coldly.

"Are you on a holiday also?" Naruto asked her.

"Yes, I am. My students and I had promised that we will have a training today but they had given some pesky excuses." She said and gulped down the tea she was drinking. "Shino said he was busy in recruiting in a large rally about the total banning of the pesticides and insecticides. Kiba told me he was helping Shino but I doubt it and Hinata, well… she wants to take a break and also saying she was helping Shino in his mad campaign." Naruto suppressed into giggles. "It's alright to laugh; sometimes my students are a lit bit of—odd."

"So… you do expect that you will be training them today?"

"Er… yes…"

"Then… how about this… Kakashi-sensei had refuse to train me for he told me he was out for a holiday… can you train me?"

"Naruto!" Kakashi now joined them again and slam his book to the table. Naruto jumped to his seat. "I am your sensei; you should ask me about those matters!"

"But—I didn't ask you when the perverted hermit had train me!"

"JIRAIYA-SAMA!" The two jounins chorused.

"Alright, Jiraiya-sama…"

"You missed the point, I am your sensei and Jiraiya-sama was a Sannin. I wouldn't mind if he trains you… but not Kurenai."

"What the—?" Kurenai said her mouth hanging open.

"Our team has secrets that should remain secret to us." Kakashi explained to her.

"We had!" Naruto blurted out and looked alarmed into what Kakashi had said.

"And I think you are just giving that sort of an excuse to spy on my students." Kakashi continued.

Kurenai gave him a glowered look; she could not believe it that Kakashi is accusing her in spying to his students. "You know, Kakashi I am just trying to help here, you told your student that you were on a holiday… then he asked you if you could train him and you said no… I can train him." She said her face looks on heat; he had not seen two jounins (male and female) having a go at each other.

"NO!" Kakashi shouted at her and stands to his seat.

"I can help your student!'

"NO! They were my students, mind your own students if you please." He told to her face.

"FINE! I WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP! I DON'T THINK YOU ARE FAIR BETWEEN YOUR STUDENTS KAKASHI!" she yelled at him and stormed out of sight. In a moment, Naruto asked that same statement to himself _is Kakashi-sensei really fair between us?_

"Kurenai seems haven't got my point."

"Alright then, Kakashi-sensei… I have to dash… I have to catch Kurenai-sensei."

Kakashi raised his eyebrow to him.

"Why did you bother me Naruto?" Sakura asked him and walking to the forest, a few hours later, "In the bright side, okaasan was giving me errands to run…" she said grinning.

"I told you we had to train for our next mission." Naruto then replied to her.

"Is Shikamaru also here?"

"No. He was in the academy, he was busy."

"You mean, it was only the two of us!" she said ridiculously. "What are you trying to do!" she said and lunge a punch to Naruto. It immediately became a smoke. "Bunshin! NARUTO! COME OUT!" she yelled angrily as the birds on the tress flew away form the branches and disturbed.

"Hi there Sakura!" Kakashi-sensei greeted him. He was on the top of the tall tree. Sakura beam to him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" she waived to him cheerfully.

"Hi there Sakura! Is that bunshin taking you here?" Naruto grasp her shoulders.

"Er… yes… he is…" She said shyly to him, "When did Kakashi-sensei arrive here?" she asked into a low tone.

"Just now." He whispered.

"That was enough, Naruto, Sakura come up here!" Kakashi called them.

After a tremendous training under their sensei, he had not taken his dinner for he was really tired and jumped to bed and easily drowsed off.

Next day he happily went to the forest to begin his training, Kakashi-sensei told them that he really needs his holiday and he can't train him today so he had to do his own trainings. He arrived to the forest and found Lee accompanied by his sensei, Gai. They were training. Like yesterday he left them unnoticed, it seems that they were father and son, the first time he met those two he had thought that they were, but then they told him that Lee was really admiring his sensei so he had copied his way of dressing and way of thinking and almost all.

Ichiraku ramen was his next destination; he did not expect that his sensei would goof around Ichiraku for a long time after that incident yesterday. Nevertheless, he was terribly wrong when he sat in the tall chair of the restaurant he saw those familiar white silvery spiky in an upward way hair and those ever known black mask and forehead protector.

His jounin instructor jumped into his seat, he was however reading his favorite book again for the nth time but he was aware who were going inside the restaurant stand. "It was you Naruto."

"Yes it was me." He said grinning, "Don't worry Kakashi-sensei; I would not force you today to train me."

"Fair enough." His sensei said in a cold way.

"But would you like to treat me for today?" Naruto asked him hoping he would agree.

"I don't think so Naruto." He said still reading his book.

Naruto's face fallen down, "Alright, oji-san! One special ramen please!" he shouted. "How was you holiday, Kakashi-sensei?" he teased him, "When I had seen the perverted hermit last time, he told me he was busy for the next installment of his novel…" he trailed of, he was expecting his sensei to be alarmed.

"He was!" Kakashi-sensei said his one eye widened in the news.

"But I don't think it will be out this year… he wants the readers to be patient, to wait for his another best seller… I am sorry Kakashi-sensei…" he said pretending he was sorry for his sensei, in fact he hated that Icha Icha Paradise mania! With that, Kakashi-sensei would not have any time to train them.

"What! He told you that the next installment would not come out this year!" he said, "This is mad! I have been reading this book," he gestured in the book he was holding, "…for three years and he announced that the next book will be out this year…"

"Fat chance…"

Other costumers came in; it was Shikamaru's sensei, Asuma together with his student, the fat Choji.

Asuma was a tall jounin, taller than Kakashi-sensei, he had a jet-black hair and also his beard running across his face and he had a bad habit of smoking cigarettes. Choji on the other hand was one of the Akamichi clan. They were all big looking persons so he was really porky, like Shikamaru, he has earrings in both ears. "Student bonding eh? Kakashi?" Asuma greeted to the two.

"Oh, not particularly… we have just met here in Ichiraku." Kakashi explained.

"Choji and I were going to train; we stopped by here before starting…" Asuma said and grinning to him. "Two special ramen!" he gave their orders.

"Congratulation again to your student." Kakashi said.

"Shikamaru? Oh, he really hated me when he was chosen to be a chuunin, he said it was harder than before and he felt he wants to resign."

"You have an odd student, Asuma."

"I know, I haven't seen you here at Ichiraku a lot before… are trying to court oji-san's daughter?" Asuma asked with his eyes narrowed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Asuma. I just want to eat here in Ichiraku."

"That's what you get when you always with you ramen freak student…"

"Asuma-sensei… you told me you were bringing a spare ramen after we eat… can I have that?" Choji asked.

"Huh? Oh no… I cannot… I have to give it to—Anko! Yes! Anko was ordering me to give her a ramen this afternoon." Asuma said with uneasy tone, he was sweating.

"To Anko?" Choji asked and his eyes narrowed as if he had known something terribly top secret. "Or to Kurenai-sensei?"

Without warning Asuma said, "'course not! Why would I give Kurenai a ramen?"

Kakashi and Naruto exchange glances. "Because you fancy her!" Choji shouted with victory.

Asuma lunged his palm to his student and covered its mouth. Choji began to struggle to his sensei. Naruto again glance at his sensei and throw a puzzled look but Kakashi-sensei did not looked at him and instead he pushed away his bowl of ramen not yet touched and said, "I have lost my appetite. See you again Naruto." He said and he disappeared into the puffs of smoke.

"What's gotten into—?" Naruto only said with surprise.

"Can I have your sensei's ramen Naruto?" Choji asked him after he got off form his sensei.

After his trainings, he passed by to Ino's flower shop to see if Sakura was there, fortunately she was there.

"I reckon I know why Kakashi-sensei was acting odd today…" she said as they talk outside the flower shop, Naruto had told her what had happened at the ramen house.

"What?"

"Kakashi-sensei fancies Kurenai sensei!" she said giggling.

Naruto's forehead wrinkled, Sakura had used the wrong term in describing what Kakashi-sensei is behaving, "Or you mean envious?"

"Envious! Goodness! You boys are really dense!" she snapped. Dense, what those suppose to mean? He thought. All he knows is Kakashi-sensei had not been envious to his co-jounins. Moreover, if he could be like that, the scene picturing in his mind, that he was brandishing a new copy of the Icha Icha Paradise Series, yes, that will surely make his sensei grew envious. He will surely follow him over town like a hungry dog.

"No, Naruto. He surely fancies Kurenai-sensei, I assure you." She said still giggling.

"How would you know?" he asked her a little bit of annoyed as if Sakura was a fortuneteller that could tell anything in the future.

"Isn't it obvious! Why does he had a go with Kurenai yesterday?"

"Because he wants to…"

"No! Because he was shy to her to let her train his own students!"

"I don't think that so…"

"Why does Kakashi-sensei lost his appetite when Choji shouted that Asuma fancies Kurenai-sensei?"

"I don't know… maybe he was full or they were very noisy or sort of… but you cannot conclude that Kakashi-sensei fancies Kurenai sensei. That was the maddest thing I had ever heard, Sakura. Kakashi-sensei would not fancy a woman."

"Really? Even you a wart fancy someone, why would an Icha Icha Paradise maniac would not?" Sakura snapped at him.

"This is ridiculous, Kakashi-sensei just fancies the woman in the novel and no other than that!"

"Naruto… you are the most insensitive wart I had misfortuned to know… Kakashi-sensei is very secretive does he, why would he blab to you that he really likes her. And besides with that attitude our little sensei is behaving I conclude he really fancies her!" Sakura explained to him.

She saw Naruto's puzzled expression as if not understanding anything she had said. "Alright then, Naruto… imagine you have a girl you really like…"

"Then?"

"What do you if you know someone is fancying the same person?"

Naruto blushed, "I would be jealous…"

"Right! How hard is that? Kakashi-sensei was gone jealous back to the Ichiraku, so he lost his appetite. Would you have the passion to eat knowing that?"

"Er… I would."

Sakura stared at him for a moment. "This is insane! I don't know why I am wasting my time explaining these matters to you. Just see tomorrow morning at the bridge, bring that lazy Shikamaru… we had work to do."

"What?"

"This is my plan…" she said whispering to him.

TBC…


End file.
